"Your Majesty, if I'm not mistaken, you are already twenty years old this year. Isn't it a bit too late to start cultivating now?"
Ji Qianqing gazed at Ji Xia, who looked unusually serious, and sighed helplessly.
For cultivators in the Endless Wilderness, many citizens from large nations start practicing cultivation as soon as they begin to understand the world around them. But due to Tai Cang's various limitations, its people don't start practicing until after the age of ten.
The Tai Cang Academy selects talented individuals and teaches them cultivation methods issued by the royal court. After eight years of cultivation at the academy, those who succeed can join the Cang Guard Army, and a very few might even qualify for the Cang Guard Elite.
But Ji Xia was already twenty years old. Even with Tai Cang's conditions, starting cultivation at such an old age seemed too late.
"For those who have never practiced before, the younger you are, the better your body can harmonize with the world's impurities. It's easier to connect with the heavenly spiritual essence and create a Great Snow Mountain to gather energy and become a cultivator."
"That's why many powerful families in large nations start cultivating their children before they even turn one month old. They channel spiritual essence through their meridians, help them sense the energy, and often give them priceless spirit-enhancing treasures to give them a head start over their peers."
Ji Qianqing patiently explained. In the Endless Wilderness, cultivation was the most important thing. In this brutal, survival-driven world, cultivation was the only path to a longer life.
Although her tone carried a trace of helplessness, she couldn't hide her genuine joy at Ji Xia's decision to begin cultivation. After all, a weak ruler would be an embarrassment to the kingdom.
Ji Xia, full of longing, asked, "If I start cultivating now, is there still a chance to break through to the Divine Power realm and become a powerful cultivator?"
His admiration for Qing Furen's immense strength was evident. Although he had eventually beheaded him, the terrifying battle prowess of the Grand Master of the Zhou Qing Kingdom had left a deep impression on him.
Qing Furen had single-handedly infiltrated Tai City, killing over three hundred Shadow Soldiers and two Shadow Generals. Such terrifying power made Ji Xia excited to the point of sleepless nights!
Upon hearing Ji Xia's question, Ji Qianqing couldn't help but show an amused yet helpless expression on her stunning face.
"Your Majesty, you're thinking too far ahead. The Divine Power realm isn't something that can be achieved so easily. Tai Cang has a population of over six hundred thousand, yet the only Divine Power expert we've had was the late former King, who broke through the mundane and ascended to the Divine Power realm. Just look at how difficult it was for him to achieve that."
"Every cultivator should have the heart to reach the Divine Power realm, but one mustn't be overly ambitious. Take things step by step. We can't worry about these lofty goals before even beginning cultivation."
Ji Qianqing's face turned serious as she spoke.
Ji Xia nodded, smiling. "I'm just asking. So, where do we start?"
Ji Qianqing picked up a scroll and handed it to Ji Xia. He opened it to find four large words written at the beginning:
Starry Secret Scroll!
"This is the royal family's secret cultivation method," she explained. "The late King was always open with this knowledge. He believed that no matter how strong the royal family was, it couldn't protect the entire nation. Any Tai Cang citizen with the potential for Divine Power could apply to the royal court and gain access to this secret scroll."
Ji Xia nodded thoughtfully, his expression melancholic. "My father was truly a remarkable man. It's such a shame that he passed away in his prime."
While Ji Xia sighed, he continued to read through the scroll, but after a while, he realized that Ji Qianqing had fallen silent.
Looking up, he saw that Ji Qianqing was staring down at the Qing Jun Sword in her hands, her face filled with sorrow.
Ji Xia knew that she had a deep father-daughter bond with Ji Shang, and his sudden departure had hit her hard. She was trying to hide her emotions because, as one of Tai Cang's top generals and strongest warriors, her vulnerability would be a blow to the morale of the kingdom.
Ji Xia, feeling the weight of the situation, placed the scroll in front of her and pointed to a complex incantation written on it. "Does this 'Great Snow Mountain' refer to a place for storing spiritual essence?"
Ji Qianqing snapped back to reality, forcing a smile as she explained, "The Great Snow Mountain isn't just a place to store spiritual essence. It's the foundation of cultivation. It has endless uses: gathering, refining, transmitting, and storing spiritual essence. Therefore, the first step for any cultivator is…"
"Is to open the Great Snow Mountain, right?" Ji Xia interrupted eagerly.
He waved his hand confidently. "I am the Windwalker. A mere cultivation technique couldn't possibly stop me."
Ji Qianqing gave him a bemused look. "The Windwalker? Isn't that just an excuse you made up?"
Ji Xia lowered his arm and looked embarrassed. "How did you know?"
"Which true follower of the Wind would put the Wind Totem on…" Ji Xia nodded sheepishly but countered, "Even if I'm not the Windwalker, perhaps my cultivation talent is unrivaled, and my potential for the Divine Power realm far exceeds that of others. I could probably break through effortlessly."
Ji Qianqing gave him a serious look and nodded. She then stood up and walked toward the palace door, her voice echoing back as she said, "Your Majesty, you should rest now. In dreams, anything is possible."
Ji Xia was about to snap back when she had already vanished without a trace.
"Ran off quickly. Gone in a matter of seconds."
He sighed and sat back down, picking up the jade slip again to continue studying.
The Starry Secret Scroll was Tai Cang's royal family's ancestral cultivation method, immensely powerful. Its ability to gather spiritual essence, its cultivation speed, and the power achieved after cultivation were all far superior to ordinary techniques.
The existing techniques in the Starry Secret Scroll were divided into three layers: the first layer corresponded to the Mundane Nine Heavens, the second layer to Divine Power, and the third to the Spirit Mastery Realm.
As its name suggested, the strength of the Starry Secret Scroll lay in its unparalleled ability to gather spiritual essence. The Endless Wilderness was rich in spiritual essence, and even in the most barren areas, it was sufficient for ordinary cultivators to practice.
This essence was scattered throughout the world—mixed in with the sun, stars, ancient trees, rocks, plants, and many other objects. Most ordinary cultivation techniques could only gather the wandering spiritual essence from the air. However, the Starry Secret Scroll was different.
Any place with spiritual essence, when drawn by the Starry Secret Scroll, would have its essence gathered at an extraordinary rate, far more efficiently than any other cultivation method.
Ji Xia studied the Starry Secret Scroll until late into the night, ensuring he understood every step and every word with precision. Finally, with a deep breath, he set the jade slip aside.
Sitting in a cross-legged position, he turned his palms toward the sky and began slowly circulating the Starry Secret Scroll's technique.
He felt as if he were in a vast emptiness, surrounded by scattered blue lights floating in the air. As the first layer of the Starry Secret Scroll activated, these lights slowly began to move toward him.
The blue lights entered his body and gathered just above his abdomen, where the Starry Secret Scroll began to refine them. The spiritual essence was slowly refined and descended, forming into a small mound.
"This is my Great Snow Mountain, the first step."
Ji Xia muttered to himself, "But the speed is so slow. Just opening the Great Snow Mountain and breaking through the first layer will take quite some time."
He focused his mind, and a small rune appeared in his palm. The rune, no larger than a fingernail, glowed with a faint light as two crescent-shaped symbols intertwined and pulsed gently in his hand.